THE CITY-RUN public internet center is expected to be established in the People’s Park next year, Councilor Bonz Andre Militar announced on Tuesday.
Militar, the committee chair of information systems, said during the Aprubado sa Konseho on Oct. 29 that the design is already complete and awaiting the cost estimate.
“I have already presented this to the Mayor and now it is good to go, following the design from the city architect, it is now forwarded to the city engineer’s office for cost estimation,” he said.
Militar added once the office receives the cost estimation from the Office of the City Engineer, they will craft the procurement plan, project design, and budget.
The proposed center will be a two-story building with a floor area of 500 square meters and a projected cost of P10 million.
The Internet Center or Wi-Fi park is an extension of the City Library and Information Center. The public must first apply for a library membership to access available computer units.
Under the plan, there would be 66 computer units, 60 on the second floor with the remaining six on the ground floor to accommodate persons with disability.
Parkgoers, however, may also avail of the free Wi-Fi if they prefer using personal laptops.
“We are fact-tracking it so it will be included in the annual budget hearing next year,” he said.
Militar stressed this is in response to the public complaints about expensive Internet subscriptions in the city.
Other than the Internet Center, the office of Militar is working on six landmark ordinances to make Davao City a smart city, such as the establishment of a centralized data center and common towers.
The “Less-Paper Session” ordinance was one of the landmark ordinances of Militar, the city’s initiative to digitize government transactions.
Photo by Bing Gonzales
